Municipal Leadership: Using Heart as a Compass Presented by: Ruth CushmanJames Bennett Retired Jay Town ManagerPresque Isle City Manager MTCMA Past PresidentICMA President

“When you become a leader, your challenge is to inspire others, develop them, and create change through them. You’ve got to flip the switch and understand that. It’s about serving the folks on your team.” Jack Irick, General Electronic

3 10. Your Colleagues Are Best Resource  Join and be active in state association and national  No one is ready on day 1, EVER!  Know your neighbors  Older colleagues enjoy being asked for help; stroke their ego

4 9. You Were Not Hired To Have All the Answers  Ability to facilitate is a growing survival skill  Don’t be afraid to say you don’t know  Build a great team where all members are responsible for care and health of community

5 Ginjo Learn about emotional intelligence and yourself

6 8. The ‘Right Answer’ is the Elected Officials’  Provide recommendations, alternatives and analysis if asked  Staff and/or your answer is not the right one if the elected officials does not agree especially those that are different from your recommendation  Implement their decisions with passion, especially those that are different from your recommendation  Never allow staff or yourself to assume your job is to protect the citizens

7 7. Be Helpful to Elected Officials  Ask yourself ‘how can I be helpful to the elected officials?’ Then ask them.  Your highest priorities need to be theirs.  Be the process expert for voting minority members  Explore the ‘7 th vote’ commitment

8 6. Deal with the Right Issues Timely  Gap between demands and resources causes local governments to triage  What do you choose to fail at?  Encourage organization to make the right mistakes  Never fail at personnel issues: be timely, be decisive, be hard on the issue and soft on the people involved  In expectation business: ‘Under promise, over deliver’

9 5. Ask Good Questions  Asking the right question is a powerful tool  Listen well and be reflective  Listen and listen again

10 4. Develop a Management Credo  Written statement of your personal management philosophy, system of beliefs and opinions  Can be shared with staff and elected officials  Revisit from time to time

11 3. Be Serious About the Work But Not About You  Always display the importance of what we do and why we do it.  Have some fun every day  You are not that important..never assume that you are

12 2. Strive to Be a ‘Category 1’ Person Responding to criticism  Category 1: people that care about you  Category 2: people that do not care but are important aka speed bumps  Category 3: people that are not important and do not care Strive to be a Category 1 in all your interactions

13 “People need to know you care before they care what you know!” Dave Childs, former ICMA President

14 1. Protect Hometown Pride  You are entrusted with a sacred value: the pride one has in their hometown  Be involved in the community beyond your job; demonstrate community service is part of your blood  Work with energy and enthusiasm  Beyond simply protecting the public trust  How lucky are we that we can make a real difference !

15 Bonus…Don’t be afraid to show what you are passionate about